Asset network routing refers to the physical transportation of goods across a geographical distance, from a starting location to a destination location, including any intermediate locations and routes travelled. Acceptable or optimal solutions to a particular network asset routing problem are subject to resource availability concerns. For example, for a route to be planned between two locations, it is possible that specific modes of transport (e.g., by land using truck or rail, by air, or by sea) may or may not be available, or may be available only at certain scheduled times.
Moreover, resources may vary in availability among shorter, intermediate distances within the overall route to be planned. For example, it may be possible to complete a first segment of a route between the starting location and an intermediate location only by air or by sea, while a second segment of the route between the intermediate location and the destination may be completed only by truck or rail. Alternate intermediate segments may or may not be available, and may or may not offer acceptable alternative resources for completing the asset network routing plan.
Meanwhile, certain aspects of network routing inherently include or reflect underlying business-related routing concerns. For example, one item transported between locations might be foodstuff that requires, e.g., refrigeration or compliance with food safety regulations. Meanwhile, a second item transported between the same two locations might not have any such restrictions or concerns, but may be extremely heavy, or, in other cases, extremely fragile.
Therefore, business concerns for a particular asset network routing scenario might include a manner of transportation (e.g., by land using truck or rail, by air, or by sea), and, within those choices, more specific choices might be required (such as using a food-compatible truck as compared to a non-food compatible truck). Moreover, such choices will have an impact on a cost of the transportation, as well the timing of the delivery (e.g., both a start time and a delivery time of the delivery). Other concerns, such as capacity concerns, also may be important or decisive, since, for example, it may be impossible to make certain deliveries using a particular mode of transport, or to or through a particular location, if that transport mode or location is not physically or administratively able to manage the relevant size (e.g., weight, volume, or number) of the delivery (such as when a harbor is not able to receive shipments of a certain size arriving by sea). Still further, choices in network asset routing may be impacted by other business concerns, such as existing business relationships with certain carriers, or service level guarantees offered by specific vendors.